


click, snapshot

by kwonjis



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Photography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 03:44:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18438350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kwonjis/pseuds/kwonjis
Summary: “the theme for this project is ‘my world’. all submissions will be featured in the upcoming exhibition so i want you all to give me your best interpretation of this theme.”my world.kun honestly doesn’t know where to start.(aka the photographer!kunten fic no one asked for)





	click, snapshot

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!
> 
> i'm back again!! this one took me a while to write, i've been so busy with uni and i've had really bad writer's block on top of that ;; anyways this was basically an excuse for me to write domestic boyfriends kunten i hope you all enjoy this very self-indulgent piece 
> 
> big thanks to anisha for the prompt ilysm ❤
> 
> [title taken from f(x)'s snapshot]

Hitching the strap of his bag onto his shoulder, Kun jogs up the stairs to the little apartment on the third floor of the building. The elevator was under repair, according to the little sign taped neatly across the metal doors, and Kun decided that it was better for him anyways that he squeeze in this poor excuse for exercise up the stairs. University had been robbing him of time for his nightly runs recently, after all.

 

Ten is already home, Kun notes as he spots his boyfriend’s well-loved (Kun preferred the term ‘ragged’ but Ten insists otherwise) sneakers sitting by the door. As he slips off his own shoes and pads into their small two bedroom apartment, he spies Ten curled up on the couch with his laptop sitting next to him as he fiddles with a camera Kun had never seen before.

 

“Didn’t know you bought a new camera again,” Kun comments after leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to the top of his boyfriend’s head. “Vintage?” He adds on, gently moving the laptop as he settles down next to Ten on the sofa.

 

Ten seems to give up with whatever he’s been trying to do with the camera and sighs. He puts the camera down on his lap and looks over at Kun. “My sister sent me our dad’s old Pentax. I’ve been testing it out but I think the light meter isn’t working. I think I might have to get it replaced.”

 

“We could get Johnny to take a look at it first, he’s pretty good with repairing old cameras,” Kun thinks out loud. Ten perks up a little at this and smiles softly.

 

“Right, yeah I should ask him,” Ten says. His eyes light up suddenly, remembering something important most likely, and Kun bites back a smile as Ten grabs his arm with excitement dancing in his eyes. “Oh, my professor loved my last assignment. She said I had a gift for using light and shadows in my photos. She said she’d even send some of my photos to this photographer friend of hers who’s looking for an assistant. This could be what I’m looking for, Kun! I’ve always wanted to work in a proper studio,” Ten gushes happily. Kun takes Ten’s hand in his and squeezes it gently.

 

“I’m so proud of you,” Kun says. The softness in Ten’s eyes as Kun says this absolutely _melts_ Kun’s heart.

 

“Thanks for being my model for that assignment,” Ten says leaning against Kun’s shoulder. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

 

“Jaehyun looks more like a model than I do, you should have gotten him instead” Kun says and Ten moves away from where he was leaning on Kun and stares at him.

 

“But he’s not you,” Ten says simply. Before Kun can say anything else in response, Ten leans over and pecks a kiss to his cheek swiftly before standing up and walking to their little dining table. “I bought us dinner, by the way. I know you said you’re trying to diet but I figured we could celebrate the success of my assignment tonight.” He says, pulling out two boxes of fried chicken from the plastic bag sitting on the table.

 

Kun can’t help but laugh as he spots Ten taking out several bottles of soju as well. “It _would_ be a shame to let all that go to waste,” Kun says half-seriously. Ten grins and pats the chair next to him.

 

“Thought you’d find it hard to say ‘no’.”

 

Several soju bottles later, Kun finds himself grinning as he watches Ten sing tipsily to an unfamiliar song. Kun thinks Ten looks absolutely beautiful like this, all pink in the cheeks with his wire rimmed glasses sitting daintily on his face and wearing the old worn out t-shirt Kun had gotten him several Christmases ago. His smile is breathtaking, lighting up his face.

 

And Kun finds it impossible not to take a picture with his phone while Ten protests cutely.

  


ϟϟ

  


“The theme for this project is ‘My World’. All submissions will be featured in the upcoming exhibition so I want you all to give me your best interpretation of this theme.”

 

 _My World_.

 

He mulls over this as he sits on the bus on the way home. It’s such a broad theme, Kun honestly doesn’t know where to start. His world right now revolved around finishing his final year of university and finding a job or internship that would hopefully help him take that one step towards his dream. But Kun figures that wouldn’t really make an interesting curation of photos though.

 

Sighing heavily, he slips on his headphones and turns his music up loudly. Maybe he could work with scenery for this project, Kun muses to himself as he watches the streets blur past him as the bus speeds down the road. Ideas run through his mind endlessly throughout the  ride and even as he steps off the bus and onto the pavement, Kun still finds himself at a loss.

 

“What do you think?” Kun runs the idea by Ten as they sit across each other at their little dining table. There’s no food between them tonight, just papers and textbooks strewn haphazardly across the table’s surface. Ten tilts his head, looking thoughtful as he taps his pen against his chin.

 

“If they’re willing to fund you, I’d say make an expedition back to Fujian,” Ten suggests. He pulls his legs up and sits crossed legged in his seat. “Show them the different ‘worlds’ you live in, sort of like a comparative piece on your life in Seoul versus your life in Fujian.”

 

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Kun admits. He fiddles with the strap of his Canon camera as he continues, “But I don’t think they’d finance that kind of trip. I don’t even think I can afford to fly back home myself until Christmas.”

 

“Fair enough,” Ten concedes. Kun runs a hand through his hair and lets his head fall against the table. He winces slightly at the dull pain lingering in the spot where his forehead met the table’s surface and groans in despair.

 

“Guess I’ll just have to carry my camera around with me for the next few weeks and see what I can come up with,” Kun grumbles. He hadn’t wanted to start the assignment until he had a concrete plan for it. He wanted to know exactly what he needed to do, what pictures he needed to take. Sure, photography couldn’t be planned perfectly all the time. Some of his best shots had been the ones he’d taken accidentally or on a whim.

 

But this assignment was important. If he couldn’t pass this assignment, how could he possibly hope to achieve his dream of being a photojournalist? If he couldn’t tell a cohesive story of his life, of his _world_ through this assignment, then he’d probably have to consider finding another career prospect.

 

Ten, as if he could sense Kun’s inner turmoil, moves over to sit in the chair closest to Kun. “Hey,” Ten says softly. “Look at me.” Kun hesitates but lifts his head up anyways. He’s trying hard not to look upset but he knows Ten can see right through him. “You’re going to be fine, you’re gonna figure this thing out like every other assignment you’ve had. You wanna know why I’m so certain about this?”

 

Kun just gazes at him, feeling his anxiety and worries slowly seep away as Ten takes hold of his hand. “It’s because you’re smart,” Ten says, kissing Kun’s cheek. “And talented,” Kun gets another kiss on his other cheek and he feels his face heating up. “And so driven,” Ten whispers this against Kun’s lips, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss before moving away. He squeezes Kun’s hand gently. “You’re going to do great, baby.”

 

“Thanks,” Kun replies softly, giving Ten a grateful smile. It was one of the things Kun loved most about Ten. His boyfriend always knew exactly when Kun needed to hear words of encouragement and love and always, always helped Kun pick himself up when he was down. Kun honestly doesn’t think he would have been able to make it through this far in university without Ten’s unwavering support and love.

 

So it’s fitting, really, that the first photo Kun takes towards completing his assignment is one of Ten as he frowns over his report, too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice Kun’s camera.

  


ϟϟ

  


Doyoung’s going off on another tirade about how ridiculous it is that their university raised parking fees while waving a drink in one hand. Kun watches the pale amber liquid swish around in the glass in amusement.

 

“As if our tuition fees weren’t enough,” Doyoung scoffs. He downs the contents of the glass in one go and practically slams the glass down on the counter. “Where the hell are our ‘maintenance fees’ going then?” Doyoung says this scathingly, making fake quotation marks in the air before rolling his eyes.

 

“Probably lining the university board’s pockets,” Yuta says solemnly, reaching over to take Doyoung’s glass before refilling it again. “It’s absolutely shameless.” Kun watches this with amusement, knowing that alcohol only acts as fuel to Doyoung’s rage. Yuta was most definitely getting a kick out of Doyoung’s tipsy outbursts.

 

(“He’s so hot when he’s like this,” Yuta once told Kun after Doyoung had finished a particularly lengthy sermon on why the movement towards strawless beverages was a cheap attempt by corporations to shrug off more pressing social responsibilities by pandering to the bare minimum ideals of the masses. Kun didn’t really understand everything that was said that night but he doesn’t think he’d be able to forgot the shameless look of want in Yuta’s eyes as watched Doyoung mouth off endlessly.)

 

“Why do you have your camera, by the way,” Doyoung asks suddenly. “You’ve got a shoot to go to or something?”

 

Kun glances at his camera, which was sitting by his elbow, and shakes his head. “I’m trying to document my life for the next few weeks. It’s for a project.”

 

This seems to pique Yuta’s interest and the Japanese man leans in, resting his arms on top of the spotless counter. “I bet you’ve only taken pictures of Ten,” He says, eyes glinting with mirth. Kun feels his ears heat up and straightens up on his stool.

 

“That’s not true,” He protests indignantly. “I’ve taken several photos at the studios too. And a few days ago when we were celebrating after Taeyong’s showcase.”

 

“Right, right,” Yuta waves him off, clearly not believing Kun. “Well, if I don’t see any photos of myself in your project I might have to cut you off from your bar privileges.”

 

“I’m surprised Taeil hasn’t fired you yet,” Doyoung butts in. “We’re practically stealing alcohol right out from under his nose.”

 

“Bold of you to assume that he doesn’t already know. Anyways, he can’t fire his best bartender,” Yuta says smugly. “Isn’t that right, Taeil?” He shouts this last part out to his manager, who’s just come out of the backroom. Taeil flips him off without sparing a glance his way and Kun and Doyoung snicker as Yuta sighs in disappointment.

 

The rest of the night goes by in a drunken blur. Kun isn’t usually a very heavy drinker but when he’s with Doyoung and Yuta, he always finds himself drinking a little more than he should. He gets a little bold and starts using his camera liberally, taking pictures of every little thing happening and throwing all caution and care to the wind.

 

So far he’s gotten a picture of Yuta lighting up a cocktail for another patron, marvelling at the colours of the flames rising up out of the glass. The fire lights up Yuta’s face exquisitely and Kun thinks it perfectly captures the essence of this weekly ritual he has with Doyoung and Yuta.

 

It’s around midnight when Ten shows up at the bar. Kun sees Ten approaching them and grins widely. “Ten, I’ve missed you,” Kun titters drunkenly, gazing up at his boyfriend with shining eyes. Ten lets out a laugh and places a hand on Kun’s back, rubbing it soothingly as Kun melts into his touch.

 

“I missed you too baby, are you having fun?” He asks. Doyoung lets out a snort from where he has draped half of his body on the counter. Yuta’s a little more composed than the other two and gives Ten a little wave.

 

“Wished you could have been here with us,” Kun murmurs. He fiddles with his camera and lifts it up towards Ten.

 

“He definitely drank enough for the two of you,” Doyoung pipes up, raising his head and sitting up. “Bet you half the photos he took tonight are blurry.”

 

“I hate you,” Kun says loudly, frowning at Doyoung.

 

“And now I think that’s the cue for us to go,” Ten is amused as he watches Doyoung flip Kun off. “Thanks for making sure he didn’t get into any trouble.” He directs this last part to Yuta, who's watching Doyoung with an amused glint in his eyes.

 

Yuta shrugs and gives him a smile. “It’s nothing. Get home safe, okay?”

 

“You both too,” Ten says, smiling back. He guides Kun off his stool and wraps an arm around his waist. “Come on, let’s go home.” Kun pouts but allows Ten to lead him out of the bar.

 

Kun doesn't really remember much of the rest of the night. When he wakes up with a splitting headache the following morning, he can only vaguely recall Ten helping him get washed up and changed for bed.

 

“Your camera is on the dining table.”

 

Ten emerges from the bathroom dressed in Kun's favourite sweatshirt and a towel draped over one shoulder. Kun sits up in bed and groans as he stretches. “Please tell me I didn't break anything on it,” Kun says, well aware of how reckless he gets with his things when inebriated.

 

“Nah, you're good,” Ten grins and Kun feels relief wash over him. “I'm gonna make breakfast, you wanna help me out?”

 

Sunday mornings in their apartment meant cooking breakfast together, something they didn't get to do often during the rest of the week because of their hectic schedules. Even if Kun was nursing a massive hangover, he was never one to turn down a cooking session with the man he loved.

 

Kun ends up taking several shots of Ten posing with several cooking utensils instead. The pancakes come out a little burnt but as Kun allows Ten to feed him a forkful, he thinks they taste perfect anyways.

  


ϟϟ

  


As the weeks go on, Kun finds himself enjoying the project more and more. As he begins documenting all his mundane routine, he discovers the little things that add colour to his life that he hadn’t taken notice of before. From something as simple as Sicheng always giving him his coffee with an extra large slice of cake, to the rare moments he gets to sneak into Taeyong’s music studio to help out with whatever track the music production major is working on, Kun starts to realise how his world has been shaped and formed by the people he loves.

 

At the mid-project check in, Kun describes his concept to his professor and takes out small prints of the photos he’s decided on including in the final showcase for the project. He watches nervously as his professor reads through the little write-up Kun threw together and inspects each photo carefully.

 

“It’s interesting that you’ve chosen to focus less on the physical aspects of what constitutes your world, Kun. I can already tell a lot about your tremendous capacity to love the people around you from these photos,” His professor says, smiling at him encouragingly. “Keep up the great work, I look forward to seeing the rest of the project.”

 

The compliment from his professor leaves Kun on a high and he practically skips his way to the grocery store. He’d promised Ten that he’d make his special spicy wontons and he hums happily to himself as he picks out the ingredients he needs.

 

As Kun makes his way down the freezer section, a buzz from his phone distracts him as he contemplates whether or not to get some ice cream too. He takes his phone out of his pocket and reads a message from Ten.

 

 **_tennie_ ** **_♡ (5:14pm)_ **

_babe i got the job at the studio!!!_

_ah shoot i wanted to tell you in person :(_

_never mind, i’ll tell you about everything else later_

**_You (5:15pm)_ **

_that’s great!! i’m so proud of you_ _♥_

_up for a celebration tonight?_

_i’ll pick up some drinks_

**_tennie_ ** **_♡ (5:14pm)_ **

_yes of course !!_

_love you, i’ll see you at home_

**_You (5:15pm)_ **

_love you too_

_see you later_

_♥_

 

After tucking his phone back into his pocket, Kun decides to go all out for dinner. He knows Ten hasn’t had Thai food in a while and decides to surprise his boyfriend with some homemade pad thai.

 

Kun puts on some music and begins prepping for dinner, neatly mincing and slicing all the ingredients, rinsing and boiling the noodles and everything else he needed to prepare. He’s so absorbed with singing along to one of his favourite Jay Chou songs that he doesn’t notice hear the rattling of keys as Ten lets himself into their apartment.

 

He hears Ten’s giggle and then the sound of a shutter going off and he whirls around in surprise. “I should have filmed you singing, I could have sent it Jay Chou,” Ten says with a cheeky grin. He walks up to Kun and kisses his cheek gently before surveying the kitchen. “Pad thai?”

 

“I was gonna surprise you,” Kun says, pouting. “You got home earlier than I expected.” Ten laughs and pecks him on the lips.

 

“Oh trust me, I was _very_ surprised to find the second Jay Chou singing in my kitchen.”

 

Kun groans in embarrassment and feels his cheeks heat up. “Wanna tell me about your day while I finish this up?” Ten beams at this.

 

As Kun continues what he was doing, Ten rambles on about his day. Kun finds comfort in Ten’s voice and he doesn’t think he could ever get tired of the way Ten’s face lit up with every emotion he was feeling. Ten was always so animated in the way he expressed himself, be it through facial expressions, his tone of voice, his hand movements. Kun had learned to read Ten like a book and always looked forward to the next chapter and the next story Ten had in store.

 

Some time later, as they sit down at the dining table with one plate of pad thai each, Kun pours out two glasses of wine before sliding one over to Ten. “To you,” Kun says, holding up his wine glass and clinking it against Ten’s gently. “For getting the job of your dreams. I never stopped believing in you for one second, baby.” Ten smiles softly and downs the contents of his glass as Kun does the same.

 

“It’s unreal,” Ten sighs dreamily. “I never thought I’d be able to work alongside such a famous photographer.”

 

“It’s about time your talent got noticed,” Kun says, reaching over and squeezing Ten’s free hand lightly. “You’re one step closer to your dream now.”

 

“I couldn’t have done any of what I’ve accomplished without you,” Ten replies. He’s gazing at Kun with pure adoration in his eyes and Kun feels his heart swell up with affection. “If you hadn’t talked me out of all my slumps, I think I would have dropped out in freshman year.”

 

“I’m glad you didn’t drop out,” Kun says, grinning. Ten grins back.

 

“I’m glad I didn’t either.”

  


ϟϟ

  


It’s the night of the exhibition and Kun is waiting nervously in front of his designated wall. His photos are up but are currently being covered by a white sheet. Kun wanted Ten to see the pictures before anyone else in his class, even his professor. Everyone else in the hall is busy. Kun spots several of them looking as frazzled as he felt inside. He couldn’t help but fiddle his watch as he waited for Ten to arrive.

 

In the week leading up to the exhibition, Kun had spent countless hours in the studio to prepare for the final outcome. After scouring the internet for ideas of how to present the photos he’d taken, Kun had eventually decided to pay an homage to a French artist whose installation he had seen floating around the internet. It had been a lot of work consisting of hours of editing, printing, framing and it had taken just a long to set up the installation in the exhibition hall.

 

Now, as he waited for Ten to arrive, Kun feels his nerves thrumming as he paces around the hall. Kun had become so preoccupied with the project that he hadn’t been able to spend any time with Ten. He hoped that somehow this project would show Ten just how important he was to Kun.

 

Kun is standing near the entrance of the exhibition hall talking to one of his classmates when Ten shows up. “Hey,” Ten says breathlessly. He looks like he’s just run from the bus stop. “I lost track of time, sorry.”

 

“It’s alright,” Kun replies. He reaches out and intertwines his fingers with Ten’s. “I wanted you to be the first to see my project.” He says as he pulls Ten along gently towards the wall where his pictures were on display.

 

“I’m deeply honoured,” Ten is biting back a grin and he allows Kun to direct him wherever Kun wanted him to stand. When they arrive in front of the wall with the white sheet keeping Kun’s project obscured, Kun stops walking.

 

“Are you ready?” Kun asks nervously. Ten nods and gives him a thumbs up. Kun tugs gently on the corner of the white sheet and steps back as it flutters down. He hears Ten gasp quietly as Kun’s project comes into view.

 

Hanging from the wall on different lengths of white string is an installation of all the photos Kun had been taking for the last few weeks. From where he’s standing, Ten realises that the numerous photos are organised into one large circle, mimicking the shape of the earth. Several photos are tinted in cooler hues, making up the ‘ocean’ in the sculpture while the rest are tinted slightly warmer to mimic the land.

 

“Kun, this is incredible,” Ten breathes out, stepping closer to take a closer look at the photos. Kun bites back a grin as he watches the realisation spread across his boyfriend’s face as he inspects the sculpture up close. “Are… Half of these picture are of me,” Ten looks at Kun accusingly but there’s a small smile tugging at his lips.

 

“80% of them, actually,” Kun responds cheekily, stepping closer to Ten. The Thai boy looks at him with amusement.

 

“Thought this was supposed to be about your world, not a tribute to me,” Ten says, glancing back at Kun’s project. Kun takes Ten’s hand in his and squeezes it gently.

 

“You _are_ my world.”  

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on [twitter](https://twitter.com/taemintys) ❤


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